Common Injuries in Badminton and its Prevention

If you play any sport, then you might be well known that a player can face many injuries, while playing. And if we talk about the sports, that are played on the grounds like football and basketball, which require physical activities. Then in these kinds of sports, a player has more chances to face a severe injury. And there are some board games like chess, and Carrom in which there are no chances of getting hurt or injured. So in this article, we are going to discuss some common injuries in badminton causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention.

Also read: Best Ways to Improve Your Stamina for Badminton

But, before starting the article, let’s  discuss some facts regarding sports injuries:

As we know there are different kinds of sport played in today’s time, which requires different physical activities. And while performing these activities many players get injured. If the injury is small, it can be cured easily, with the help of some remedies or prevention. But if the injury is severe, then it could also affect the player’s health or can lead him to death. So to prevent these injuries the sports federations and associations had made some rules and regulations, that the players need to follow. Mostly the cause of a player’s death is a brain injury or a head injury. To prevent these injuries, there are helmets and many effective headgears out in the market, that the players need to apply. And there is a high ratio of children’s getting injured while playing any sport in comparison with the adults.

So below we have mentioned some common injuries in badminton and its prevention, check them out:

Badminton: Common Injuries And its Prevention

Badminton is a fun game and is played by people, across the world. Playing badminton keeps our body fit, healthy and also keeps our body in shape. And this created a myth in the mind of people that, badminton is a soft game, which does not cause any injury to the player while playing. And here in this article, I’ll clear all those myths and doubts by mentioning some common injuries that take place while playing this fun and enjoyable sport. So to know more regarding the common injuries in badminton and its prevention, read the article till the end.

Sprained Ankle

Sprain basically occurs, when any ligament stretches out or tears apart. Or in other words, we can say that, when the ankle, the supporting ligament extends from its own position and twist. Sprain doesn’t get severe if the damage is low, but if ligaments are completely torn apart and are much damaged. Then the condition could be severe.

As you might be well known about the term ligaments. These are the fiber bodies or tissues, which connect our bones to other bones. The work of ligaments in the ankle is to keep the particular bone in a stable position and support the joint.

Basically, sprains can heal easily by applying and compressing the area with ice. But if you face some swelling problems and if you are unable to walk or bear your weight, then you need to see a doctor immediately. Because a damaged ligament can make the situation worse, without any rehabilitation and treatment. And it can result in a weaker ankle that might irritate you while playing. Also, if you’re facing an ankle problem, again and again, then it can lead you to a long-term problem.

Cause of Sprained Ankle

• Walking or running on a lumpy area or surface.
• Tripped and falling down.
• While playing football, basketball, badminton, or tennis.
• Putting extra pressure on the feet, while playing or walking.

Symptoms of Sprained Ankle

• Swelling
• Bruises
• Feeling pain while touching it.
• Unstable ankle (if the ankle is dislocated or the ligament is completely damaged).
• Discoloration on the affected area.

Treatment of Sprained Ankle

• If the sprain is normal, you can apply or compress the area with the help of ice cubes.
• You can also apply the RICE protocol, which is Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate.
• Use some physical therapy, involving ankle exercises.
• Medication, which can help you in bearing the pain and will also help in reducing the swelling of the ankle.

Wrist Pain

Most badminton players face this problem of pain around the wrist, especially the beginners, who are in their first stage to learn the shots or how to handle the racket. It is also a kind of ankle sprain injury. Wrist pain is a usual badminton injury, which occurs mainly by applying more force while hitting the shots are while changing the grips or angles. Some players even complained about hairline fractures and micro-breaks in the wrist. In such kind of injury, the pain in the beginning and grows with the passage of time, which sometimes leads to severe damage, if not treated or took care of.

Causes of Wrist Pain

• Using the extra power while hitting some shots.
• Inadequate badminton racket.
• Applying extra pressure.
• Improper gripping technique.
• Changing the grip while playing.

Symptoms of Wrist Pain

• Swollen wrist.
• Pain in the affected area.
• Discoloration on the wrist area, where the player feels pain.
• Hard to move the wrist.
• Pain, while pressing the affected area.

Treatment of Wrist Pain

• To bear the pain you can go for anti-inflammatory medication.
• You can also take the help of physical therapy, which is the most effective way to cure such injury.
• If there is severe damage, then you can go for surgery or an operation of a ligament.
• Perform various arm and wrist exercises to reduce the risk of such injury.

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)

Tennis elbow can be referred to the elbow pain, which is also one of the usual badminton injuries. It is when your forearm muscles or tendons get damaged or tear out because of applying extra pressure and this leads to immense pain. Such type of injury is caused by playing or repeating the same shot again and again and indulging more pressure while hitting the shots.

Causes of Tennis Elbow

• Repetitive motions.
• Holding the racket and grip tight.
• Indulging more pressure while hitting the shuttle.
• Damaged tissues and tendons.

Symptoms of Tennis Elbow

• Low pain on the outer side of the elbow or forearm.
• Severe or light pain while arm stretching.
• Pain while lifting heavy objects.
• Feeling a bit of pain while gripping the racket.
• When you can’t move or flex your arm.

Treatment of Tennis Elbow

• When the pain is low, you can use a home remedy. All you need to do is apply ice on the affected area.
• Take a break from the game and take some rest.
• Massage the affected area.
• Take medication to bear the pain and to reduce swelling.
• The Shockwave therapy.
• If you can’t bear the pain, then there is only an option left with you and that is surgery.

Jumper’s Knee (Patellar Tendonitis)

Jumper’s knee is also a usual injury in badminton, which is also known as Patellar Tendonitis. In this injury, swelling occurs in your Patellar Tendon, which connects the player’s shinbone (Tibia) to the kneecap (Patella). This injury can get more severe if not treated in an adequate time, because the jumper’s knee loosen and weaken your tendon, which could lead to a big problem ahead. This injury is basically caused due to many fractures and by indulging overload on the ligaments while practicing, running, jumping, or during a match.

Causes of Jumper’s Knee

• Cause due to overstress on tendons.
• Performing repetitive moves.
• Weakening of knee cap.
• Not performing adequate warm-up.

Symptoms of Jumper’s Knee

• When the player feels a sudden pain while changing his feet direction.
• Feeling pain, while running, jumping, or moving.
• Pain in quadriceps muscles.
• The skin turns dark and bluish in the affected area.

Treatment of Jumper’s knee

• If the pain is bearable and it does not affect your moves and drills, then you can treat it by applying ice to it.
• You can take the help of some medications if the pain is severe.
• Also, you can use knee support, which will help you to move and bear the pain.
• Go through therapy.
• Oscillating needle procedure.

Shoulder Pain (Rotator Cuff Injury)

This is one of the common upper-body injuries. Let me tell you that the rotator cuff is made from a combination of four muscles and these muscles are as follows:

1. Infraspinatus
2. Supraspinatus
3. Teres Minor
4. Subscapularis

The main work of the rotator cuff is to hold the upper arm in at the right place in the shoulder and also helps you to make all kinds of movements and rotations. This kind of injury is very common basically in the 40-50 players age group.

Causes of Shoulder Pain

• This injury is basically caused by indulging more and more pressure on the shoulders while playing.
• If you play over-head shots, again and again, this can also lead you to face this injury.

Symptoms of Shoulder Pain

• Pain around the shoulders and neck area.
• Improper movement of your arm.
• Feeling weakness and rigidness in your shoulder muscles.
• Severe pain, that doesn’t let you sleep at night.
• Unusual sounds, while moving your muscles and arms.

Treatment of Shoulder Pain

• When the pain is low, you can treat it by applying ice to it.
• If you’re unable to move your arm adequately, then you can take a break and rest for some days.
• Try wearing a shoulder brace, it will help you to bear and hold on to pain.
• Proper medications can also help you out.
• Therapy
• If the pain is too high and is unbearable, then you can go for surgery or other medical treatments.

Overall

I hope you liked the article, as we have explained the most common injuries in badminton and its prevention, and also mentioned its causes, treatment, and symptoms. So, if you’re a badminton player and don’t know about such common injuries, then this article could be beneficial for you as well as for the others who play this game just for fun.